How long do hard liquors last?
In the pantry, hard liquors keep indefinitely from purchase.
Keeps indefinitely
from purchase
No guideline
No guideline
Do hard liquors go bad?
Hard liquors are shelf stable, so the pantry time is about quality rather than safety: past it, flavour and texture fade before anything becomes unsafe. The date on the package is the maker's quality promise; the times here count from purchase unless marked "from the package date".
Two numbers to keep in mind: a fridge at 40 F (4 C) or below, and no more than 2 hours at room temperature (1 hour above 90 F / 32 C) for anything perishable.
How hard liquors compare with other beverages
USDA FoodKeeper gives hard liquors one time: Keeps indefinitely in the pantry from purchase, and no figure for the other places. A blank usually means the food is not stored that way, not that the data is missing. The foods USDA lists next to hard liquors in beverages show the range for the group:
| Food | Pantry | Fridge | Freezer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coconut water | 12 months | no guideline | no guideline |
| Coffee(first of 4 kinds) | 3 to 5 months | no guideline | no guideline |
| Cream liquors | 6 to 8 months | no guideline | no guideline |
| Diet powder mixes and drink mixes | 18 to 24 months | no guideline | no guideline |
| Fruit Juice in cartons, fruit drinks, punch | 3 weeks | no guideline | no guideline |
| Juice, boxes | Use by the package date | no guideline | no guideline |
| Lemon juice(first of 2 kinds) | 12 to 18 months | no guideline | no guideline |
| Lime juice | 12 to 18 months | no guideline | no guideline |
| Nectar | 12 to 18 months | no guideline | no guideline |
| Nutrition supplement drinks(first of 2 kinds) | 2 to 5 years | no guideline | no guideline |
About beverages. Unopened juice, soda, beer and wine keep for a long time in a cool pantry, but milk alternatives and fresh juice spoil almost as fast as dairy once opened. Coffee and tea lose flavour gradually rather than becoming unsafe, so quality, not safety, is usually the concern. All beverages.
How to tell hard liquors have gone bad
General signs for beverages, the group USDA lists hard liquors under.
- Fizzy drinks that have gone flat or taste metallic
- Sour or curdled smell from opened juice or milk alternatives
- Cloudiness or separation that will not shake back together
- Cork pushed slightly out or wine that smells like vinegar
- Mould ring forming at the neck of a bottle or carton
More on beverages. The times above are quality guidelines, not safety limits; food that shows these signs goes out regardless of the date.
How long do other beverages last?
Source: USDA FSIS FoodKeeper dataset (public domain). How we decode the data.